What Will Happen After Iowa?

For months, all anyone could talk about is Iowa. This state must have seen a serious surge in their local economies, as people flocked to cover stories or hold rallies all for the day that is finally here: the Iowa Caucus. But after tomorrow, all those who have held camp here will leave and fly to th next destination in order to accomplish the same goal but in a different state. So, what will happen after Iowa?

The next state that will hold the focus is New Hampshire, two weeks from now. As these states are back to back in the primary part of the presidential race, politicians have been traveling to both these locations until about two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, everyone basically held camp in Iowa, and the same will be true for New Hampshire. The emphasis, however, will be completely different.

For the Republican wildcards, which basically at this point counts every single candidate, both states hold two different meanings. Iowa represents the more evangelical type of voter, while New Hampshire represents the more moderate type of voter. A candidate like Cruz has a better chance than Rubio in a state like Iowa, and vice versa. For this reason, Kasich has been airing most of his attack ads in New Hampshire, and there has basically been no attention on him in Iowa. For Cruz, however, he is banking on Iowa for a win or a close second, and will need it if he wants to continue his race.

So after Iowa, the underdogs will need to majorly make their presence known in New Hampshire if they wish to continue through the rest of the primary. Senator Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, Senator Marco Rubio, Governor Kasich, and Governor Chris Christie will need to either take New Hampshire or take one of the top three spots if they want to make a real stamp on this early part of the primary season. Trump, of course, wants to win both of them, and today will show just how accurate his polls are in predicting the outcome of an election. Many Republicans have looked at Rubio as the only candidate who can beat Clinton in an overall election, but while the establishment thinks one way, he will need to do well in New Hampshire if he wants to show that he has the votes behind him to take it all the way.

While there has been so much momentum moving in the Iowa direction, after tonight, the momentum will do a total U turn and start to focus on entirely different issues for a different type of Republican voter. The media will start to look at and put attention on the moderate Republicans in the race, while the past week has been all about Cruz and Trump with a little bit of Carson in the mix. The New Hampshire primary will either make or break candidates, and combined with the Iowa Caucus results, will show what to expect for the rest of the primary season, with a hint of who could be the Republican nominee. It is a chance for the overlooked candidates to surge forward, and for others to drop out completely. New Hampshire is just as important as Iowa, but in a totally different way. After today, the election will have a different tone and different energy as it shifts to this perspective.